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| TPWD News Releases Dated 2010-07-07 |
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[ Note: This item is more than four years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references. ]
[ Media Contact: Larry Hodge, 903-676-2277, larry.hodge@tpwd.texas.gov ] [LH]
July 7, 2010
Legendary Angler-Artist to be Featured at July Event at TFFC
ATHENS--Professional angler and artist Judy Wong of Many, Louisiana, will be a featured exhibitor at the Art's Better Outside show and Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest national expo at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center July 17. She will show and sell her wildlife art and demonstrate fishing techniques.
Wong is an accomplished angler with a long record of tournament wins on the Bassn' Gal Tour, the Women's Bass Fishing Association circuit and the Women's Bassmaster Tour. She won the Women's Bassmaster Tour championship in 2007 and 2009. She is a professional bass fishing guide and guided on Fayette County Lake before moving to her new home on Toledo Bend Reservoir.
She is also a wildlife artist and donated artwork to the fundraising effort to build the Richard M. Hart and Johnny Morris Conservation Center in Athens.
In 2008, following her WBT championship win, Wong was invited to the White House to be recognized by President George W. Bush for her angling achievements. "As a member of the Toledo Bend Lake Association, I was chosen to be the 2008 BASS Unlimited poster artist, creating an original acrylic painting and 250 limited edition posters," Wong said. "I presented a framed poster, along with my signature series titanium American Rodsmiths rod, a Quantum Tour Edition reel and some hand-selected Gary Yamamoto baits, to President Bush when I made my trip to the White House."
Wong regards her trip to the White House as the highlight of her angling career, but she says her most memorable and rewarding experience was going to Germany with fellow anglers Gary Yamamoto and Roland Martin to visit deploying and returning military service men and women. "That was so emotional!" Wong said. "It was one of my proudest experiences, to be able to thank these soldiers who lay their lives on the line for our freedom."
Recently Wong was notified of her induction into the Legends of the Outdoors National Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. She joins a long list of outdoor legends such as Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops; professional anglers Bill Dance, Hank Parker, Gary Yamamoto, Shaw Grigsby, Jimmy Houston, Roland Martin and Kathy Magers; BASS founder Ray Scott; businessmen Toxey Haas and Forrest Wood; and outdoor TV host Wade Bourne.
Also to be inducted with Wong are Charlie Ingram, Peggy Vallery, Dick Cabela, Mary Cabela, and Jack Minor (posthumously). In addition, Ducks Unlimited will be recognized as the 2010 American Outdoor Organization of the Year.
"Some people consider me a legend, but I consider myself just 'a woman who loves to fish,'" Wong said. "I would love to see every child get the opportunity to experience the joys of the outdoors, whether it be fishing, hunting, camping or whatever outdoor pursuit.
"I love the outdoors and have been very fortunate to pursue my dreams and make a career out of fishing," Wong continued. "My fishing has allowed me to travel all over the country and to different parts of the world such as Portugal, Spain, Germany and South Africa. My travels have always been memorable, but the people I have met along the way--the men, women and children who love to fish as much as I do--are the ones that have touched my life the most."
Wong was born in San Francisco, California, but moved to Houston, Texas, at age two. "My dad took me fishing at an early age, catching bluegills, catfish and anything that swam," Wong recalled. "I fell in love with fishing and being outdoors."
Wong said being a role model for young girls and boys is her most important responsibility. "They are the future of our sport, and it is with pride and passion that I help elevate this sport and pass it on to the next generation," she said.
At the July 17 event at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center Wong will be joined by Texas State Artist Sam Caldwell and a number of other artists. Student artists from across the nation will be at TFFC to receive awards for winning their state fish-art contests. Winners of the Best of Show and Art of Conservation Stamp Awards will be announced, and visitors will vote for the People's Choice Award.
The expo is sponsored by Wildlife Forever and the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. The State-Fish Art Contest is an annual national competition for students in grades four through 12 and aims to involve young people in conservation through art.
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On the Net:
http://www.wildlifeforever.org
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/tffc
http://www.judywong.net
http://www.legendsoftheoutdoors.com
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[ Note: This item is more than four years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references. ]
[ General Media Contact: Business Hours, 512-389-4406 ]
[ Additional Contacts: Louie Bond, louie.bond@tpwd.texas.gov, 512-389-8706 ]
July 7, 2010
July Issue of TP&W Magazine Explores Why Water Matters in Texas
Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine’s ninth annual water issue is on the newsstand now and is a useful resource to engage readers with current water issues that affect their lives. The issue “Why Water Matters” provides useful background information for reporters on environment, outdoors and region beats, and it features stories that could prompt editorial opinion pieces about water issues in Texas. The full text of the issue is also available on the magazine’s Web site.
Between years of drought and years punctuated with flash floods, Texans’ relationship with water reflects both the vital necessity of water and its destructive potential. For nine years, TP&W magazine has examined this relationship in a series of annual issues devoted to pressing water resource issues that face Texans. This includes covering major trends, ways people can conserve water and efforts to plan water use and balance the needs of people, industry, agriculture and the environment.
TP&W magazine Editor Louie Bond said the stories in this issue serve as a reminder to readers that access to clean water is not guaranteed.
“It’s a great reminder that we take water and the accompanying wildlife for granted until something happens,” she said. “It’s a good wake-up call and a call for us to start working before disaster strikes.”
Larry D. Hodge’s story “Blue Dawn” speaks to an issue that affects Texans across the state – water management and responsible water usage. Hodge describes TPWD’s efforts to restore the state’s watersheds and discusses the need for Texans to act as stewards on their land to ensure the ongoing viability of watersheds and availability of clean water.
Of particular interest to readers in Central Texas is Wendee Holtcamp’s “Saving Land, Saving Water,” a story about Texans protecting the Edwards Aquifer recharge zones. Holtcamp details her journey through the land that makes up the Edwards Plateau and recounts the history of how San Antonio residents, and Austin residents through a similar program, have raised money to buy land and have worked to preserve land in the recharge zones that are essential for maintaining water supply in their regions.
Readers in the greater Houston-Galveston and other coastal areas will find valuable information in Carol Flake Chapman’s “High Tide,” a story about the rising sea levels off the Texas coast. Recently, tide gauges have begun to show that sea levels are rising at twice the rate as they did a decade ago. The story details various scientists’ analyses regarding the cause of sea-level rise and it describes the steps scientists and the state are taking to protect residents and wildlife from its effects.
This issue also features a story by Mary O. Parker called “Life is but a Stream” about the wildlife that inhabits urban streams behind places such as shopping centers and the effect that urban development has on these waterways. Bond notes these urban creeks are often where children have their first encounters with wildlife.
In addition to informative stories, TP&W magazine’s “Why Water Matters” also features a series of stunning photos that illustrate the vital role water plays in the lives of Texans.
For reporters interested in covering of any of the subjects featured in “Why Water Matters,” TPWD can provide experts who can elaborate on the topics. Complimentary copies of the “Why Water Matters” special magazine issue are also available to news media upon request.
The special magazine issue is part of a broader Texas Parks and Wildlife Department public information initiative begun with the first special water resource magazine issue in July 2002. The initiative also includes video, radio, Web and other components.
The “Why Water Matters” July special issue of TP&W magazine can be found on newsstands across Texas. For more information, visit the TP&W magazine Web site.
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On the Net:
TP&W magazine: http://www.tpwmagazine.com
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